This is both my personal learning project and my contribution in the struggle to confront the ongoing Republican/ libertarian assault on rational science and constructive learning, as manifested in their malicious strategic Attacks on Science ~ A collection of articles, scientific resources, plus my own essays and indepth critique of various presentations from unidirectional-skeptics ~ Hopefully a resource for the busy, yet discerning, student who's concerned about the health of our Earth

Mr. Thiel, you’ve taken offense that many say you show significant “lack of judgement” by coming out in support of Donald Trump the gold plated narcissist who would be President.

On Monday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., you defended your position: "It's not a lack of judgment that leads Americans to vote for Trump. We're voting for Trump because we judge the leadership of our country to have failed.”

I thought you said you were a man of good judgement? What's with that yuge non sequitur? What does Washington DC leadership failures have to do with being suckered by a big talking hustler like the beauty pageant magnet Donald Trump?

Sunday, October 30, 2016

I tried writing something today, but constant interruptions made it impossible to get anywhere and there's another crowded week ahead. So I'm going to placate my frustration by sharing some insightful quotes from a few important recent articles regarding our upcoming election.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

George Monbiot has written another insightful, if biting, examination of the struggle going on within my American society. Here he makes clear that Donald Trump is not an outlier, but the distillation of our dominant value.

I like this article because I've been thinking about how Trump both personifies and exalts in being the quintessential Ugly American, and I’m regretting not having any time for building an essay around the theme.

George Monbiot’s assessment echo’s with my own so since I can’t write about it myself I’ll at least share this introduction to his excellent article and encourage you link to the full story at monbiot.com - he describes a reality folks should become aware of and hopefully help encourage thinking about in a more constructive way, before this increasing extremism and disconnect from fundamental down to Earth realities leads to genuine chaos.

What is the worst thing about Donald Trump? The lies? The racist stereotypes? The misogyny? The alleged gropings? The apparent refusal to accept democratic outcomes? All these are bad enough. But they’re not the worst.

The worst thing about Donald Trump is that he’s the man in the mirror.

We love to horrify ourselves with his excesses, and to see him as a monstrous outlier, the polar opposite of everything a modern, civilized society represents. But he is nothing of the kind. He is the distillation of all that we have been induced to desire and admire.

Trump is so repulsive not because he offends our civilization’s most basic values, but because he embodies them.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

I came across this freshly released study that highlights the short coming of relying on Tide Gauges for estimating global mean sea level rise. I'm posting this because it reminded me of my Virtual Debate with Dave Burton of NC-20 the North Carolina ocean science denial organization. They are real estate focused folks who wanted the NC legislature to ignore climate science and sea level rise predictions when planning for the future. A stellar example of willful ignorance in action. Dave continues crusading for ignoring the facts at our disposal.He has an obsessive focus on Tide Gauges and he claims that TGs prove that oceanographers don't know what they are talking about when they warn of accelerating sea level rise and it's consequences based on a combination of measurements. Dave has particular contempt for satellite data, but never could explain why, in any meaningful manner. {Dave, here's some more reasons that explain why you are wrong about your sea level claims.}

Are long tide gauge records in the wrong place to measure global mean sea level rise? (Thompson et al. 2016)

Abstract: Ocean dynamics, land motion, and changes in Earth’s gravitational and rotational fields cause local sea level change to deviate from the rate of global mean sea level rise.

Here, we use observations and simulations of spatial structure in sea level change to estimate the likelihood that these processes cause sea level trends in the longest and highest-quality tide gauge records to be systematically biased relative to the true global mean rate.

The analyzed records have an average 20th century rate of approximately 1.6 mm/yr, but based on the locations of these gauges, we show the simple average underestimates the 20th century global mean rate by 0.1 ± 0.2 mm/yr. Given the distribution of potential sampling biases, we find < 1% probability that observed trends from the longest and highest-quality TG records are consistent with global mean rates less than 1.4 mm/yr.

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Highlights include enriched and related content of notable journal articles presented on Eos org AGU org AGU On Demand and in AGU journals

You see, like gallows' day, the rapidly approaching USA election day has been crowding my thoughts and depressing my spirits. I am gobsmacked that a demonstrable egomaniac and blowhard, with the intellectual depth of a trustafarian barfly is the GOP standard barer and presidential candidate. I mean all these Republicans and even preachers of God who constantly flaunt their high and mighty moral standards and supposed superior grasp of human affairs and world politics and god's will, are rolling over for this amoral, financial and intellectual fraud named Trump. What would God think?Look at the situation! Republicans are willing to sell their integrity to a New York demagogue who's home is gilded in gold. Where is that right wing's moral fiber when it's needed?

RECOMMENDED WEBSITES

11/29/2016 I started this blog to debate climate science contrarians, I've done my part, they, the intellectual cowards for their part have run off and hide within their hermetically sealed echo chambers, safe to continue broadcasting more stupidity mixed with anger and hostility rather than constructive learning.

Now this horrendous election. Its changed everything and this blog, not sure where it's going, eventually I need to start another one, one less intent on futility reaching out for what ain't there and more focused on presenting a different perspective for its own sake, and to hell with the rest of it, it's too heart breaking.

I see Dec 19th as a key date. If there isn't serious focused engagement of the public in numbers that surprise everyone, well the oligarch will have their way with us.

Americans need to let Trump know from the gitgo, we do not approve of his con job and he better not get too crazy because he's earned zero good faith or honeymoon considerations. We shall see.

{edited 12/11/2014}

I know there are too many typos, what can I say, eyes aren't what they were, I get rushed, and always did have a thing with transposing…{well, I also hated high school "english" classes... bad call that one.}. Doing the best I can with what I got. Embarrassing though it is, it's better than doing nothing. Besides, it's the issues and reasoning that we should be worrying about.

Though I'm in my own little world here, I'm also constantly learning and evolving and do get occasional feedback and when I reread stuff and find errors or omissions or garbage, I fix it. If it's major I'll acknowledge it with an 'edited' note, minor stuff I don't bother.

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I hardly keep track of Anthony's latest antics (besides, with Sou on the job why bother - can't beat her insights). It's just me over here and I have more important things to do with my precious hours - still now that Anthony's luster has been wearing thin he's put his energy into discovering and honing new fresh faces to carry on the public show of the Republican/Libertarian strategic attack on science.

He seems to have transitioned into a ring-leader, perhaps mentor/coach would be better, producer? At least that's how Mr. Steele and his antics of the past year has gotten me to think about it. So in that regard this blog remains about WUWT's brand of thinking and logic and my struggle to understand the anatomy of the fraud they've perpetrated against mankind. {December 2014}

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ok, now some recommended websites:

This blog was started in April 2013 and is written by an actual scientist so it has a refreshingly serious objective air to it, plus he does a good clear job of explaining complex issues.

Tamino, an acknowledged statistical/mathematical expert of the highest order, at Open Mind also does an excellent job of holding Anthony’s feet to the fire with clearly explained facts and math. Check it out:http://tamino.wordpress.com~ ~ ~

And of course, there is the excellent, most up to date internet depository of climate studies and information for the non-expert public.

Then there's RealClimate.org the scientist's commentary site. Run by working climate scientists intended to help the interested public and journalists sort through the complexities of the climatology. They provide "quick response to developing stories and provide the context" that is too often missing from public media's depiction. {But, you better be serious and have some real science education/understanding under your belt if you want to keep up.}

I remember back in da day, good websites/blogs were few and far between. But over the past years that's been changing to the point that it's impossible to keep up with them all. Here's an incomplete, and long overdue addition to my above list: